Health

Saudi Arabia COVID-19 daily figures decrease, 3068 new cases recorded in 24 hours

Saudi Arabia recorded 3068 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health announced on Saturday, a day after it reported 3,575 new infections in a single day since July 2020.

Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.

The ministry added that the death toll has reached 8,892 as of January 8 after two new coronavirus-related deaths were recorded, while a total of 545,771 patients have recovered, with 793 recoveries registered in the last 24 hours.

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The Kingdom’s health authorities have administered over 52 million vaccine doses as of January 8, reaching 52,305,327, according to the health ministry.

Saudi Arabia updated COVID-19 rules

Health authorities recently updated recovery periods for those who test positive for the virus. For vaccinated individuals, the recovery period has been reduced to seven days while the unvaccinated recovery period is 10 days.

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Health

Teen alcohol and nicotine use in Europe is up, WHO urges preventive measures

Substance use is on the rise among teenagers in Europe, Central Asia and Canada and girls now match or even exceed boys when it comes to smoking and drinking, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report on Thursday.

Health

Gender therapy review reveals devastating impacts on teens

A top Human Rights Council-appointed expert has welcomed the decision by all health authorities in the United Kingdom to halt the routine use of puberty-blockers offered to children as part of gender transition services, amid a sharp increase more widely in the number of teenage girls seeking such treatment and concerns that it might disrupt brain development.

Health

Latest hunger data spotlights extent of famine risk in Gaza, Sudan and beyond

Dangerous levels of acute hunger affected a staggering 281.6 million people last year – the fifth year in a row that food insecurity has worsened – heightening growing fears of famine and “widespread death” from Gaza to Sudan and beyond, UN agencies warned on Wednesday.